Title:
Migration and development : policy potentials and policy illusions
Authors:
Haas, H. de
Place:
[The Hague]
Publisher:
SID NL
Year:
2011
Series Title:
SID-NL Lecture Series 2010-2011 : “Global values in a changing world” : synergy of state and society in a globalized world
Serial number:
8
PAGE:
[3]
Language:
eng
Subject:
Social and Political Change
Keywords:
migration
,
policy
Abstract:
Since 2000, European governments and international development agencies have “discovered” the potential of migration and remittances to stimulate development in poor countries. However, migration and development is anything but a new topic. The debate about migration and development has swung back and forth like a pendulum, from optimism in the post-War period, to deep “brain drain” pessimism since the 1970s towards neo-optimistic “brain gain” views in recent years. While these shifts are rooted in deeper ideological shifts, a review of evidence yields a much more nuanced picture. Although migration often has considerable benefits for individuals and communities, migrants alone cannot remove more structural development constraints and can actually contribute to development stagnation. Despite their development potential, migrants and remittances can therefore neither be blamed for a lack of development nor be expected to trigger take-off development in generally unattractive
investment environments. Recent views celebrating migration as self-help development "from below" are driven by neoliberal ideologies and shift the attention away from the vital role of states in shaping favourable conditions for positive development impacts of migration to occur.
Organization:
Society for International Development Netherlands Chapter (SID NL)
Region:
Global
Category:
General
Right:
© 2011 SID NL
Document type:
Lecture
File:
483521.pdf
,
483522.pdf
,
483523.pdf